


they cut your hair and sent you away

by ghostfrogg



Category: Bill & Ted (Movies)
Genre: Bill is short and full of unbridled rage, I promise no like super amounts of angst because I'm depressed enough as it is, M/M, also they are himbos I don't make the rules, and bill is lonely because homos can't function without their partners, anyways Ted is the taller soft one in the relationship sorry I don't make the rules, anyways onto the actual fanfic, at this point I'm just writing an entire plot in these tags, go easy on me I long for a relationship but am scared of commitment so I turn to fanfiction, honestly we love that, is it found home if it's with only one person tho, maybe their families weren't as ok as the movies made them seem, oh well I'm tagging it as found home, rufus definitely saw the tension too, sad alternate universe where ted's dad still sends him to military school, they were definitely homiesexuals and if you watched the movies you'd know that, they were the original punk rock boyfriends dont come @ me, they're really TRYING to get good grades here people, those girls were beards, we do love a good found home fic tho ngl, yeah I have a love for band boyfriends what about it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:28:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27277264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostfrogg/pseuds/ghostfrogg
Summary: Maybe an A on one assignment isn't enough for Ted's dad. Maybe there's other reasons Ted needs "straightening out", too. But whatever his fate is, it's not affecting the future well.Bill is desperate to fix that, but how?(here you go you depressed gay nerds, here's your morsels, your scraps: your bill and ted fanfic)
Relationships: Ted "Theodore" Logan/Bill S. Preston Esq.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In all my eight-ish years of writing countless fanfics, I've never actually published any for fear of having people perceive my existence. So I guess this is the first official time I've posted any of my writing. Is it an achievement or not if it's a Bill and Ted one because my brain can't pick between shame and pride lmao

# Chapter 1

The California summer heat was good for one thing: it was an excuse to stay inside to cool off and the 7/11’s started selling Slurpees at half price to attract more customers. The asphalt on the roads was so hot that steam curled up in the air during the afternoons, making them look fog-covered and mysterious. If anything, it made skateboarding harder. Bill winced every time his foot kicked off the ground- the soles of his shoes were so worn he could feel the sting of the street beneath them. He hardly paid attention to that minor inconvenience as he was more focused on not dropping the two slushies in his hand. The roads of Ted’s neighborhood were characteristically windy, with small rocks scattered everywhere that stuck under Bill’s skateboard as he glided down the slopes. There was a lot more foliage where he lived, too. The ride to Ted’s was always pleasant for these reasons, along with the fact that his house was generally less tension filled than Bill’s was- there was Mr. Logan, still, but he yelled a lot less than Mr. Preston did. And hardly ever at Bill. He was practically invisible at Ted’s house, which was the way he liked it.

The single-story house was in the same condition as it always was, worn down, but inviting nonetheless. A broken pair of rollerskates perched in one of the overgrown thorn bushes in the front, ones that Ted had outgrown years ago, along with various gardening tools gathered in a pile near the lawn chairs. Bill kicked them to the side on the way up to the porch.

He didn’t even bother ringing to be let in- the doorbell didn’t work anyways- because no one would be home at the time except for Ted. Besides, he was practically a member of the household by now. The front door squeaked a complaint as he kicked it open and enthusiastically entered. 

“Yo, Teddy!” he shouted, “I got your Slurpee!”

Someone’s footsteps echoed down the hall before a lanky teen practically fell into the living room, face illuminated by his ever-present dorky grin. “Strawberry Rush?” Ted asked, not wasting a second in sliding over to Bill and grabbing the drink from him.

“You know it! Hey, you owe me twice now. I almost dropped it skating over here.” Bill leaned over and took a sip from his friend’s slushie, then made a face. “I still don’t get why strawberry is your go to, though, gross dude.”

Ted yanked it away from him, making a face back at him. “That’s what you always say, and then you go and drink half of it anyways.” 

The backpack on Bill’s shoulder started to dig into his skin, reminding him of what he was here for. “You got the reading stuff we have to study?” he asked, adjusting the bag straps, “Cause I may or may not have forgotten my book at home.”

“No worries dude, we can just share mine,” Ted assured him, regaining his smile. “I even got highlighters and colored the paper this time to make the info stick in my brain.”

“Highlighters? You’re really digging for a good grade this time, huh.”

“Hey, after our radical English project, I actually have motivation to work now, believe it or not! Just ‘cause I got one good grade doesn’t mean my dad isn’t still on my back about shipping me off to military school.”

“You think he’ll actually do it? Even after everything?”

Ted shrugged, and Bill could sense he didn’t really want to think about it. “I don’t know. Maybe. We studying or not?”

“Right, sorry.” 

Ted’s bedroom was surprisingly clean for once, or at least somewhat- all his loose homework sheets had been stuffed into his desk so that the corners of them were poking out, and his clothes were spilling out of his drawers, but the bed was well-made and devoid of any trash. His guitar was finally displayed on the wall. Impressed, Bill plopped down in his spinning desk chair and took in the room. 

“I don’t think you’ve ever been this neat in your life,” he stated, bemused, “excellent, Teddy, who are you trying to win over?”

Ted laughed a tad awkwardly, not sure how to respond. “Ah, my dad pressured me into tidying it up,” he explained. “Said if I’m ever going to make it on my own I’d need to learn how to at least be presentable.”

“Oh really? You sure it’s not for some girl?”

Bill could see Ted’s face begin to color. Satisfied that he had successfully embarrassed his friend, he spun around in his chair a few times, grinning. “Ooooo, someone’s got a crush. I was right!”

“Dumbass, the only person who ever comes over is you. All the girls at our school are only interested in those guys who play for the football team, anyways. You have any alternatives to them?”

“I was just pulling your leg, man, don’t worry about it.” Bill slung his backpack off so he could dig through it easier. “Now, about the homework… where’s your book?”

“Probably somewhere in my closet, with all my other things that I shoved out of the way when I cleaned up. Here, let me get it.”

Ted cautiously opened his closet door, able to keep the contents from spilling out, and then clambered inside, digging through piles of everything for his Geometry book. Bill watched him with disinterest, sipping his Slurpee every so often. 

“Did you hear Mr. Ryan is assigning an extra essay this semester?” He mentioned, after a moment of silence. “He said it was ‘for fun’ but I think I’d rather jump onto the freeway than do another one of his papers.”

“Aw man, I’m trash at writing those! The only reason I passed his class last year was because of the time machine. Without all those guys I’m just… il.. what’s the word?”

“Illiterate?”

“Yeah, that.” Ted twisted around and tossed him the heavy textbook, which he caught with surprising ease. It’s weight took him off guard so he spun a half circle in his chair trying to steady himself. “Sorry it’s so ragged, I tear at the pages when I’m distracted.”

Bill carefully leafed through the pages, trying not to rip them further. There were little notes scribbled in the margins here and there; Ted took to writing reminders for himself mid class before he forgot them, which meant anything as obscure as a grocery list could end up in one of the chapters. And tiny pen swirls marked the paper. He often chewed his pens when nervous or fidgety, so all the marks came from the days he tried to focus. Even though his handwriting was atrocious, Bill could still make out what some of the notes said.

_I don’t understand. Why don’t I ever understand? Proofs make no sense anyways, I won’t ever need them_

_This is probably on the test_

_This is definitely on the test_

_Ask Bill what this means?_

The problem in question was a picture of two triangles, both of which had complex formulas written beside them. Bill had no idea what they meant. So no, don’t ask him. The chapter they were currently working on had little doodles in the corner, most remarkably a small potato-looking horse marked with the words _Wyld Stallyns_. He grinned fondly at the name.

“Have you been practicing your guitar lately?” He asked, with a hint of parental expectation in his tone, “that new song we’ve been working on.”

“Well…” Ted paused from climbing out of the closet and avoided his eyes. “I’ve been focusing more on school for the moment. Just to, like, appease my dad. I’m not flaking out on you, I promise!!”

“I know man, you don’t need to worry. The band can wait. We got ten more years to figure it out, remember?”

With that reminder, Ted’s worry melted off his expression, and he plopped onto the bed opposite his friend. “You’re right,” he agreed, “there’s plenty of time left to practice. Are you ready to study?”

Before they could begin, Bill made a grab for Ted’s slushie, which was halfway full still, but his friend avoided him. “You done with that?” He asked, innocently. Ted rolled his eyes but let him take it anyways, and he happily downed the half-melted pink drink.  
“You always _do_ that,” he sighed. “Every time.”

♬

The slamming of the front door alerted the two boys from their studying, making Ted jump a little in his spot. Bill noticed. With resignation he shut the book, sighing , the math problem they were currently working on momentarily forgotten. There were no words spoken, just a look between them passed on all the information known. Mr. Logan was home from work.

“Theodore!” His usual cold tone washed over them, completely changing the atmosphere. Ted rolled his eyes on disdain at his full name; Bill sometimes teased him by addressing him that way, which hardly bothered him, but the fact that he had gone by Ted for the entirety of his life and his dad still refused to call him it put him off for some reason. “Come warm up some leftovers for dinner, I want to talk to you.”

Ted froze up. He and Bill shared a look of confusion, which progressed into terror on the former’s expression, and the two of them hesitantly made their way out into the hall and back into the living room. Bill trailed slightly behind his friend, conscious that his presence probably wasn’t welcome at the moment. His assumption was correct as Mr. Logan’s eyes narrowed once he spotted him.

“I was hoping you’d be alone, son,” he sighed heavily, “but of course I should have known you two morons would be together. Preston, why aren’t you at home?”

“Actually, Ted and I were studying for our math test,” Bill replied, a hint of smugness in his voice. Mr. Logan scowled, adding to his pride. Anything to piss him off.

“Well, your studying can wait for another day. I need to have a serious discussion with my son and I would like it to be a private one, so if you could leave-”

“Anything you say to me you can say to Bill, dad!” Ted argued, throwing his arm around his friend’s shoulders and tugging him closer, “I’m not gonna talk about whatever it is you want to talk about if he can’t stay for dinner.”

“It’s alright, Teddy, I can see when I’m not wanted,” Bill assured him, pulling out of his grasp. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school, cool? For the math test.”

Something in Ted’s expression made Bill regret his decision, but he was too uncomfortable to stick around his dad, especially since there was something important needed to be spoken about. He made his exit without looking back, grabbed his skateboard from its perch outside and began his journey home.


	2. (I Didn't know chapter titles were a thing) Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatever Mr. Logan had discussed with Ted, it seemed to have had a negative impact on the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween everybody, make sure you eat more than candy and hydrate! Also watch some good spooky movies.
> 
> I'm less proud of how rushed this chapter came out but at the same time it do be progressing the story, so enjoy. I don't have a writing schedule yet so I'll probably churn out chapters every so often depending on how school and stuff is going. Anyways, enjoy the rest of your spooky night, because as soon as its November it's time to get out the christmas decorations

The ride to school was always quiet. Bill made sure to keep it that way. His dad was always at work too early to bring him, so Missy had to, and obviously he had reason to not want to talk to her. A painful reminder of his past. Sheesh. Missy tried to be nice to him despite them only being two years apart, but it weirded him out so much she was always given the silent treatment. His mind, at the moment, was focused on more important things: namely, what had Ted’s dad told him last night? He had a feeling it wasn’t anything good.

His best friend wasn’t in any classes until his third period, however, so with dread-filled anticipation he sat through the first two, hardly paying attention. The minute the bell rang, signaling the end of his second, he rushed out into the halls to find Ted at his locker.

Ted was in fact there, but something was off in his demeanor. Bill’s nervous smile faded off his face when he noticed his friend’s expression.

“Yo Teddy, you feeling alright man?” He asked, growing increasingly worried. “Is it the math test? Don’t worry, we studied pretty bodaciously yesterday. I think we’ll be fine.”

Ted avoided eye contact instead of answering and stared down at his feet, methodically taking his books out of his locker and stacking them in his arms. Bill tugged at his sleeve, unsure if he had heard him.

“Hey- what’s wrong? Are you sick or something?”

His friend continued to say nothing- still incredibly pale and tired. Now worried beyond belief, Bill cupped Ted’s face in his hands before violently shaking him back and forth, trying to worm some words out of him. It worked somewhat.

“Hey- ow, man!” Ted squirmed his way out of Bill’s grasp, holding his head and glaring. “Why’d you do that??”

“There you go! I was worried you lost your voice or something.” Bill crossed his arms. “Now what’s happening?”

“Look- I’ll tell you later, our next period is going to start and I don’t really want to talk about it. Cool?”

That was unusual; Ted never hid anything he had to say, especially not from Bill. His friend frowned but went along with it anyways. They continued on to their next class in silence, Bill awkwardly trailing behind Ted, glancing at him every so often in confused concern. _What’s going on with him? Had his dad done something? Did Ted get grounded from playing guitar again?_ He wanted to voice his questions but something in his friend’s expression told him he shouldn’t.

Third period practically crawled by with Bill’s anticipation. He hardly paid any attention to the class he was in- though he never did anyways- and Ted, who sat in the seat in front of him, kept ignoring his pokes on his shoulders. While working on some worksheet they had been assigned, Mr. Ryan wove between the rows, making sure they all had their eyes on their papers. Bill was focused on prodding Ted with a pencil for the fifteenth time and didn’t see him making his way to their chairs.

“Preston, hands to yourself,” he lectured, slapping the pencil out of Bill’s grasp with the end of his ruler, “pay attention to your work before you fail another assignment.”

The other students all subtly turned to the two of them, and Bill could see the back of Ted’s neck go red with embarrassment. He felt his own face start to burn, and flustered, he tucked his head back down and tried to finish his worksheet.

After class, Ted made a beeline for the exit, with Bill jogging up behind him to get his attention. “Hey,” he pestered him, tugging on his shirt sleeve, “you said you’d tell me later, and later is now, so you’re gonna tell me what your dad said, right? Or-”

“You know, Bill, maybe I _shouldn’t_ tell you,” Ted cut him short, stopping abruptly. Bill almost ran into him.

“Huh? What do you mean? Dude, we tell each other everything. Do you not trust me?”

“What? No, man, it’s not that, I… I just don’t think you want to know. Yet, at least.”

“You’re not making any sense.” Ted began walking again with Bill in his wake, stone faced to try and hide the fact that his feelings had been hurt. “Why wouldn’t I want to know, Teddy?”

“I-” Ted trailed off, looking suddenly perplexed, stopping again and making Bill run into him once more. “Oh, dude, I almost forgot- I never chained my bike up in the front!”

“Ok man, I know you’re just trying to distract me-”

“No, I’m being serious!” Ted jogged ahead of him, diverting off their original path to Geometry. After a moment of hesitation, Bill followed him, outside to the back plot of the school. Ted’s bike- which he had ridden from home, he lived not too far out- was leaning against the rusty line of bike rests that had been long forgotten by the other high schoolers. It was, in fact, chained up. Ted approached it with confusion.

“That’s odd, I swear I left it unchained,” he mused, walking over it to examine it, “strange things are occurring here.”

“I’m sure you just locked it up and forgot you did,” Bill suggested, joining him. “Not too strange.”

“Hmm… maybe.” Ted surveyed the area as if he was looking for something. His friend followed his line of gaze, trying to find whatever it was. 

“...Are we gonna back inside or-”

A sudden sharp gust of wind, strong enough to knock Bill’s hat off his head (which he frantically made a grab for) came out of nowhere, catching them both off guard, and was accompanied by a loud roaring noise that resembled thunder. With a blinding flash of light and yet another roar of the noise (now sounding like a very large, very broken vacuum), something zapped into existence. It landed on top of the only car in the empty parking lot. 

“Dude…” Ted backed up so he was closer to Bill, but squinted his eyes, trying to make out what the thing was among the smoke from the car. “Is… is that-”

It was evident once the smoke cleared; there stood a familiar, blue phone booth.

Bill and Ted had hardly a moment to glance at each other in surprise before a lanky figure stepped out of the phone booth, into the last wisps of the fog. Someone they hadn’t seen since last semester. Without a word the two friends made their way towards him, an unspoken agreement to remain serious between them, and they were disheartened to see that the figure held a similarly grave expression. 

“Rufus? What are you doing here?” Ted asked upon reaching him. Bill craned his neck to glimpse at the phone booth, but nothing about it had changed since the last time it had visited.

“It’s a hard situation to explain, but I need you boys to come with me immediately,” Rufus replied, in a grave manner, “you don’t have anything important that you need to do today, right?”

Bill sent a meaningful look towards his friend. Ted shuffled awkwardly. “Well, uh, actually, we had this big math test we studied all week for and-”

“Sorry boys, you’re going to have to put a hold on that. You’re needed in the future.”

Yet another confused glance was exchanged between the boys. “Rufus dude, you’re like, not making any sense,” Bill continued, awkwardly shrugging his shoulders, “if you could tell us how you need our help, maybe we could, like, direct you to the nearest gas station or something.”

Rufus only sighed, grabbed them by their shirt collars, and shoved them into the phone booth before stepping in himself and shutting the door. Bill was squished against his taller friend’s chest for lack of room, and after glancing up and noticing how close their faces were, a sudden surge of embarrassment surged through him and caused him to stumble back. 

“Yo- hold up Rufus, where are we going?” Ted protested, trying to keep from elbowing Bill as he adjusted his position in the booth, “you can’t just kidnap us and then not tell us what the hell is going on-”

“Like I said before, I will explain it if you just let me get you there first-”

Bill tugged at his friend’s sleeve, bringing him down to his height in one pull. “At least now you can’t avoid telling me what your dad said,” he realized triumphantly, “since we’re stuck in the future for the rest of the day!”

“Actually, I _can_.” Ted gently pulled away from him and leaned against his side of the booth again. “We have something important to fix, according to Rufus, so it’ll just have to wait.”

“But-”

“ _No_ , Bill.”

Rufus didn’t glance up from the keypad he was punching a code into, but the boys could see him smirk in amusement as he did. “You two having a little domestic?” he asked, the keys clicking absentmindedly under his fingers, the phone booth beginning to respond. Bill and Ted shared a confused glance.

“What does that mean?” Ted asked. 

“Nevermind. It’s just something we say in the future. Buckle in, boys, we’re about to time travel again.”

Finding nothing to grasp onto except each other, Bill and Ted clung together and huddled up against a corner, preparing themselves. The phone booth whirred like an overheated vacuum cleaner, blue sparks igniting randomly along the outer edges. With a dizzying jolt it began to spin and pop- and they were in the wormhole, making their way towards the possible future. The spectacle amazed the boys as much as it had the first time; there really was no getting used to time travel, and they were sure that no matter how often Rufus did it that even he must see the wonder in it. Bill pulled out of Ted’s hold to press up against the glass and marvel at the colorful whirlpools outside. Was it outside? Did the wormhole occupy physical space? Why was he thinking these things with his GPA being as low as it was?

“Most excellent,” Ted whispered from beside him, joining him in gazing out. Bill turned to grin at him. Seeing the wonder in his friend’s eyes somehow distracted him from whirlpool-watching, and for some reason he couldn’t look away. The lights of the booth reflected in their warm depth and stuck there, sparkling, and- 

Oh god, what was he doing? Bill shook his head and faced the window again, his mind now racing with confusion at what every other function in his body had just freaked out about. Ted was wholly unaware of whatever panic had just occurred in the past few seconds, too busy tracking all the other wormholes with his gaze.

“Just a few more minutes, boys,” Rufus announced. 

Nearing the end of the journey, the booth began to shake again- Ted made a grab for Bill’s arm, but he managed to avoid it, still too confused by what had just happened- the blue sparks buzzing louder. Rufus stood near the door, unaffected by the jittering. And just like that- everything was still. The door opened, and with a grandiose amount of smoke and sparks, the three of them stepped out to greet the future.


	3. A Not So Rad Discovery (the future has more chrome than expected)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once in the future, The Three Most Important People in the World explain Rufus's concerns- and Ted seems to know more about it than he's willing to tell Bill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me awhile to update, but school do be that way. Also, I've seen "The Three Most Important People" also being referred to as "The Three Supreme Beings of the Future", is that just me or am I really that forgetful? It probably doesn't matter either way, honestly. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll have another chapter out right before Thanksgiving break, especially now that I have an idea of where I'm going with the plot (ah, yes, me publishing stories without knowing where the hell I'm going with them to begin with, such a smart writer lmao). Until then, see you next time!

Aluminum tinted the halls and reflected the lights from the ceiling, making the trio shield their eyes from the glare. Rufus led them down the passage the phone booth had landed in. It was devoid of any other people until they reached a portion that branched out to other hallways, where small groups of them strolled or rushed by, and some were so focused on their destination that they didn’t notice Bill or Ted at all. The few that did stopped in their tracks to respectfully air guitar at them; the two of them half-heartedly returned the gesture, too distracted by Rufus’s unspoken concerns. 

“Hey…” Ted stage whispered at his friend, when he figured Rufus couldn’t hear them. “Do you think the thing wrong is us? Future you and me, I mean.”

“What, you think we like… died or something?”

“Or got in a life-changing accident, maybe. Say you lost an arm and couldn’t continue playing for the band, and so I had to become a solo artist-”

Bill patted his shoulder to get him to quiet down. “Ted, buddy, I doubt it’s something that bad. If something happened to future us, then Rufus would have told us right off the bat. Right?”

Rufus, who had overheard the entire conversation, continued to silently lead them down the hallway, towards the center of the building. Ted gave Bill a look that clearly said “I _told_ you so” but his friend ignored it, trying to overcome his own doubts. 

They finally reached their destination; the giant doors to the throne room loomed in front of them, where The Three Most Important People in the World were seated behind. With one swift motion Rufus pushed them open, leading the boys in. The rulers’ faces stared down at them in grim expectancy.

“Bill S Preston, Esq., and Ted “Theodore” Logan,” the one in the middle announced- he said it as a statement rather than a greeting, making them feel the need to step forward. The Three stood up simultaneously to give the respectful air guitar, which they reciprocated, this time with more gusto and an air of importance.

“The Three Most Important People in the World,” the boys responded. 

“We’ve brought you here to discuss the change of a very major event in history,” the one on the left continued, “one that was caused, in fact, by you.”

Bill and Ted shared yet another look of shock, the whole situation only getting more and more confusing. “Wait, wait- by _us_?” Bill exclaimed, “Rufus- what do they mean ‘by you’?? What did Ted and I do?”

“Yeah- we didn’t, like, fuck up history or something again, did we?” Ted chimed in, “like some sort of _Back to the Future_ type stuff, where there’s alternate timelines?”

The right-side Person gestured to Rufus, indicating he should be the one to answer their questions. He emitted a deep sigh but stepped up anyways. “Something has happened in the timeline between your present and now,” he explained. “Something that has stopped you two from making music, which in turn is starting to affect our present- our 27th century present. We are already starting to see things changing here, people are becoming restless without reason and the peace that your band has brought us has somehow begun to dissolve.”

Bill turned to Ted, expecting him to be as perplexed about the explanation as he was, but was surprised to see that he had gone slightly pale and still. He elbowed him in concern. “What do you think is stopping us?” he asked, not sure which exact person he was addressing, but hoping at least one of them would have a direct answer for once.

“That, we don’t know,” Rufus sighed. “And before you suggest we travel back in time to find the specific incident, we have no idea when the exact date where it occurred is. The times we _have_ visited just make no sense. We’ve managed to find future Bill, but Ted is always missing in your timeline.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Bill exclaimed, “you were right, Ted- one of us _did_ die!”

“Now- hold on- before either of you begin panicking, it hasn’t been confirmed that that _is_ what happened- Bill, future you refuses to tell us what happened. You seem to have grown quite a dislike for me and the Wyld Stallyons, and you especially hate any mention of Ted, so that leads us to believe it was more likely a falling out of some kind.”

“A falling out… so all we have to do is spend as much time as possible to become even better best friends, right? And avoid any arguments!” Bill nudged Ted again, failing to notice that his expression had fallen. “Right, Teddy?”

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly, not sounding particularly sure about it at all.

“We suggest that you begin to work on writing some of the songs on your first album,” the Middle Person said. “Then you can see if it somehow prevents all the future timelines we have seen. If not, we will bring you to future Bill to see if either of you can get the truth from him.”

“One more thing Mr. Important Person sir,” Bill added, “how do we know if we’re making any progress? We can’t really see into the future, not like you can.”

The right-side Person took out a familiar looking CD case from the folds of his cloak, and carefully tossed it to the boys. When Bill caught it, it became clear that the upper corner of the case was _missing_. It didn’t have a chunk taken out of it- rather, it seemed to have simply vanished, leaving a foggy outline in its place. Not sure what to make of it, Bill handed it to Ted, who examined it with equal confusion. “What is this?” he asked, holding it up. “I mean, I know what it is, but- what’s happening to it?”

“Whatever happens in your timeline, the event that breaks you two apart, completely stops the formation of your band. Without Wyld Stallyns, not only does your music cease to exist- but this perfect future, this pristine society built upon it, also ceases to exist. We have no way of stopping it, and we can only assume that if you figure out what happened you can prevent it ahead of time and keep all of us from disappearing.”

Bill massaged his forehead, overwhelmed by the information they were receiving. “Your people are surprisingly calm considering the fact they might vanish forever,” he remarked. 

The Three Most Important People shared a knowing glance amongst themselves. “We haven’t told them of the news yet,” the left-side said, “and we’d prefer to keep it that way. Even if you two don’t fix the future in time. We’d rather they go out peacefully than in panic, surely you’d understand.”

“Sick,” Ted said, looking rather ill himself.

“We’ll do our best to keep that from happening,” Bill promised them, trying to hide the sinking feeling that the two of them might never figure the problem out- and the realization that an entire society of human lives were all at stake based on the outcome of that. He was regretting skipping out on so many of his classes, surely there was an english textbook somewhere on dealing with time travel anomalies. Or disappearing CDs. 

“We know you will,” The Three affirmed, “you two aren’t the most righteous dudes in history for no reason. Rufus, escort them out and back to their time period; Bill and Ted, don’t let us down- we’re all counting on you.” 

They concluded the conversation with another air-guitar, and once again the boys mirrored them, though this time with much less regality, all their anticipation and energy drained from them. Rufus led them back out of the throne room and down the hallways, the aluminum walls and ceilings lacking their usual sparkly appeal, devoid of any people now that it was late (or what they assumed was late- there were no clocks anywhere). Silently, Bill and Ted filed into the phone booth, squishing up next to each other. And with a few clicks of the buttons, they were once again swirling through the whirlpool.


	4. Do Copyright Laws Still Apply if You're Stealing from Yourself?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Bill and Ted try to write music (it's not as easy as it seems, obviously), they discuss the morality of stealing their own songs, and then there's a semi-serious conversation about what Mr. Logan had said.
> 
> Also: Bill calling Ted "dork" has to have been canon at some point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late in the morning here but honestly who isn't already reading fanfiction at 3 am?

“Hey Teddy, pass me your capo.”

Ted swiveled around in his spinning chair to face Bill, who was sprawled across the bed and was lazily tapping his guitar from upside down. “It’s useless, dude,” he argued, though he still took it off his guitar’s neck and tossed it to him, “we’ve been trying to write this song for the past three hours, and we’re _still_ not getting anywhere close to finishing it.”

“Speak for yourself!” Bill strummed something indiscernible, a chord that had yet to be discovered by the music world, making his friend wince. “I think we are progressing quite bodaciously, and I’m disappointed in your lack of belief in yourself.”

“I believe in myself plenty, thank you. I just think you’re underestimating how long it takes to produce a song, much less a song that’s meant to be an international sensation…”

They fell silent for a while as Bill searched for a solution, off-put by Ted’s unusually gloomy temperament. Ever since they had gotten back from the trip to the future- and ever since that day that his dad had talked to him- he had been lacking his normal energy. Bill wondered, yet again, what Mr. Logan could have possibly said to him that upset him so much. He was still unsure of whether or not he should ask, because any mention of his father or that specific discussion made Ted immediately clamp up. 

Mr. Logan was at work again, which made their brainstorming easier. As worn as he was Ted seemed more at ease now that they were alone- or at least more agreeable. While he continued thinking up the answer, Bill jokingly tossed one of their failed lyric sheets at his head, hitting its mark and earning him an amused roll of the eyes.

“You’re making it harder to think,” Ted complained.

Maybe it was the rush of blood to his head from leaning upside down for so long, but Bill came to a sudden realization. “Hey- do me a favor and grab the CD Rufus gave us, over in my flannel pocket,” he said, pointing towards it, “I have an idea of how to cut us some time on writing music.”

Ted got him the CD case- which was still relatively the same in terms of what was missing, noticeable but not completely unusable- and Bill took it from him, examining it. “Here’s my ingenious idea,” he continued, “why not just listen to future us’s music and copy it down? That way we don’t have to do the hard brainpower stuff, we can just learn to play by ear.”

“I don’t know, Bill… that feels a lot like cheating.”

“Is it really cheating if it’s off ourselves?”

Ted thought it over, and shrugged. “That’s fair. I’m sure future us won’t mind, right?”

“Exactly! Where’s your CD player, Teddy- we gotta make some history-worthy melodies!”

♬

They were not, in fact, making history-worthy melodies. 

The CD had been put back in its case after being played on repeat for the past hour, and their electric guitars were leaned up against the door for the time being. Hearing their future selves was offputting- especially since they sounded so _old_ \- but they tried to memorize the song as best they could. Writing down the lyrics was no problem. It was learning how to actually play that stumped them. Neither of them had enough practice to consider themselves band kids, much less professional musicians, and the fact that they had to learn by ear made it more difficult. 

Bill and Ted were lying head-to-head on the bed, feeling too defeated to talk to each other. The sun was setting outside, so the room was exceptionally warm, and made them more tired than they already were. Both of them were wondering the same thing- how much time did they have left for error until the future was unchangeable?- but neither wanted to voice it.

In the silence Bill kept going over the same questions in his head, so much so that he had imagined numerous conversations for each one by the time it took for Ted to finally say something again.

“You think it’ll cause a paradox if we copy our own music?” he mumbled half-heartedly, more so voicing his thoughts than asking Bill a question. 

“My brain hurts too much man, don’t make it worse.” Bill wasn’t paying attention to him, too busy wondering for the tenth time what Mr. Logan had said and imagining a scenario where he confronted him for the information. The easier solution was to try and worm it out of Ted instead, and though Bill didn’t want to upset him, he was growing tired of not knowing what was going on. And not knowing how to comfort his friend, either.

He turned over on his side so he was facing Ted, trying to build up courage to ask. Ted was slipping in and out of a sun-induced sleep, hardly noticing Bill staring at him, waiting for him to speak first so he wouldn’t have to. He went to poke his shoulder to force him up but hesitated. Maybe he should just let him sleep, he seemed so worn out from the day and the trip to the future. In fact, Bill had half the mind to join him if he wasn’t so caught up in his thoughts- but if anything, Ted looked more at peace, for the first time in a while. And Bill didn’t want to ruin that for him. So instead, he lightly patted his head and flopped back over on his side.

“Hm?”

“Hm, what?”

“You tapped my head, what did you want dude?” 

“Nothing man, don’t worry about it. Get your well-deserved rest.”

“Well now I’m curious,” Ted prompted, turning over so he could see Bill better, “what’s on your mind, buddy? You keep looking at me like you’re worried about something.”

“You’re not going to want to answer, so I’m not going to ask.” 

Ted fell silent as he turned this response over in his mind, trying to figure out what he meant by it, and he grimaced once he did. “You still want to know what my dad talked to me about, don’t you?”

“Well…”

“Bill-”

“You’re just worrying me, Teddy,” Bill sighed, “you’ve been _off_ ever since that talk with him, you haven’t been your usual annoyingly endearing self.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I mean it as a compliment, dork. Now, could you at least tell me the topic of what you guys discussed?”

Ted thought it over for a minute before moving from his spot on the bed to next to Bill, so that their arms were almost touching, and nudged him away for more space. “Move over,” was all he replied with. Out of spite, Bill jammed him with his elbow and scooted back to where he originally was before he was pushed. Once they finally stopped fighting over the space Ted sighed heavily and hugged his side where he’d been hit, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. 

“Do you ever think about after high school?” he pondered aloud.

“No shit,” Bill replied, a little exasperated, “that’s all I _ever_ think about. After high school is when I finally get away from here, and my house, and go make music like I’ve always wanted to, with you, dude. What else is there to think about?”

“No, Bill, I mean like… like college and stuff.”

Now Bill was thrown off guard. “I thought we weren’t going?”

“Well… ok, maybe not college. Like, a school of some sort. What if I went there instead?”

“Instead of…” Bill tried to play dumb, but the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach had already settled in and made him assume the worst. Ted fell back into silence rather than finishing the thought, but he really didn’t have to. “Hey- Teddy, your dad isn’t… is he going to send you-”

“You know, I was just pulling your leg,” Ted cut him off abruptly, not sounding like he was joking in the slightest, “don’t even worry about it. I promised you I’d make us my future, ok? We’ll get this song finished, and save the bad timeline from happening, and it’ll all be good. Just, don’t worry about it for the rest of this week, alright? For me.”

Now it was Bill’s turn to be quiet for a long time. He wondered if he preferred being completely in the dark about the conversation than half in it, because even though his friend told him not to worry, that was of course all he could do. The mention of some school outside of high school obviously could only mean one thing. Bill moved again, very slightly, just enough so their arms were barely touching. He tried to focus on how warm Ted felt, like he always was, rather than the uncertain future that this new discussion had revealed. But as comforting as Ted’s presence was next to him, it wasn’t enough to erase the new anxieties that had surfaced in his mind. 

“Alright,” he resolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the premarital arm contact 👀


	5. We All Had That One Crush in Middle School That We Used as an Excuse to Cover Up Our Homosexuality, Admit it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eh this is just gayer than the other chapters to be honest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey~ It's finals week for me so it's been a hot minute, and right now I'm procrastinating on all of my studying and publishing this chapter instead. I'm not as happy with how it turned out, I think it's because my writer's block was really bad these past weeks and when I'm not on a roll my writing usually ends up choppier. But yeah, enjoy Bill's sexuality crisis bcs I know you've all felt that panic of being in love with your best friend. Admit it. I have 😌

The next few school days dragged on as they continued to practice their first song. They hardly paid attention in class- or rather, Bill couldn’t; Ted seemed to be against sleeping during lectures even though the bags under his eyes said otherwise. All in all, there was only one thing on their minds: getting the first song “finished” and seeing if it saved the CD. If not, then somehow figure out what to do next. The underlying fear of failing and losing his best friend like his future predicted drove Bill to practicing even when Ted wasn’t around. He was determined to stop the timeline if it was the last thing he did- just the thought of no more Ted made him almost sick to his stomach. In every scenario he had come up with for his future, in every daydream during class where he envisioned his career as a rockstar, his best friend was in every single one. Life without Ted, to him, was completely unimaginable. 

He supposed that was a result of their future being intertwined (or whatever future, he reminded himself, existed before the new one), but he felt that even without Rufus ever showing up, he and Ted would still have spent their future together. It made sense to him. There could be no Bill without Ted, and no Ted without Bill. He needed the extra brain cells, anyways.

Speaking of which, he was currently losing in his history class, as he kept slipping in and out of a daze, staring out the window and going over the same points in his head. Ted was attempting to take notes in the seat in front of him, a little too slow of a writer to keep up with their teacher. The material always sounded the same though. And Bill took comfort in the fact that no one else was really paying attention either, but he admired his friend for trying.

They had plans to spend the rest of the school day at Bill’s house practicing, again, since his dad would be out for once. The bell rang and signaled for them to begin packing up- which gave a group of the other students time to migrate over to their desks, a few of them giggling with each other. 

One of the students Bill knew from freshman year, but he hadn’t really talked to her since (or at all, he didn’t talk to many of the other students anyways, even his fellow seniors). She seemed non-threatening enough but the fact that she was approaching Ted made him apprehensive.  
“Hey kid, you’re Bill, right?” she asked Ted, handing him a slip of paper, “I haven’t talked to you two since like, we were freshies, but you’re always together, so I figured I might as well give you this to share-”

Something about her doing this made Bill suddenly dislike her, though he couldn’t place why- he watched her lean against Ted’s desk as he took the paper from her, an unnamed frustration blocking him from listening to what she was saying. He didn’t even know her that well. Why would he be mad at her? It didn’t make any sense, yet he continued to stare at his friend and her to see Ted’s reactions.

“Actually, he’s Bill,” Ted replied, pointing at him, “I’m Ted- what’s the slip for?”

“Start of the semester party, on Saturday. We thought you two might want to show up,” she explained, “since it _is_ senior year and everything. Gotta have as much fun as possible before we graduate and get stuck at some college, right?”

“Yeah…” Ted unrolled the paper and scanned it, then handed it to Bill, who was growing annoyed at the fact that he was being ignored by the group.

He should have expected there to already be parties, but the fact that he and Ted were even considered for invitations was a surprise, given that they were never asked. In their three years of high school, the only events they had gone to that classified as a “party” were the poorly planned proms at the end of each year, and even then they always left early. Bill wouldn’t have considered himself a popular kid, and even with his personality he was still apparently too geeky to be considered one of the other stoners, which may have been why he went so under the radar for the entirety of all previous school years. And since Ted always stuck with him, he blended in too. But he liked talking to people more than Bill, and his sunny disposition made him more approachable to the other students. Which may have been why the girl gravitated towards him while Bill sat to the side. He didn’t mind, but some part of him strongly disliked the fact that other people were flocking around Ted. 

_That’s not very cool of me,_ he admitted in his head, _he can have whatever friends he wants, I don’t know why I hate it so much._

Still, it continued to bother him.

“Why would you want us to come?” The words came out much harsher than he intended, and everyone turned to him- even Ted gave him a questioning look.

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m inviting all the seniors. Why not?”

Bill sent a meaningful look at Ted, who luckily picked it up. “Give me and my esteemed colleague a moment to discuss, please,” he told her. She led the other seniors away so he could lean onto Bill’s desk. “Thoughts?”

“Non-existent,” he sighed. “We’re supposed to be working on the album, remember? We don’t have time for parties.”

“We can spare a little time for fun,” Ted tried to convince him, “I think we deserve a break after all the work we’ve been putting in! And think about it, dude, there will be _babes_ at the party-”

“ _I’m_ more important than some random _‘babes’,_ dumbass! And so is the band! Christ, Teddy-”

“Woah, woah!” Ted threw his hands up defensively, concerned by Bill’s sudden change in tone. “Sorry, Bill, I thought you’d like that kind of thing. It’s not my fault you’re not into them...”

He fell silent, turning pink when he realized what he just said. Bill could feel his face heat up as well, making the back of his neck feel uncomfortable, and in a desperate attempt to keep Ted from noticing, he swiveled around to mime packing up his backpack. “We’re going to the party,” he decided, voice a little unsteady, “tell whatever-her-name-is that we’ll make it.”

“Bill-”

He turned back around, their complexions still matching, and Ted faltered. “If we finish this first song on time, we can play it for the other seniors. Who knows, maybe that’s what’ll save our timeline, maybe we just need to get recognition somehow.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that-”

“Yo, we’ll be there!” Bill called to the group of students still waiting on their answer, ignoring Ted, “thanks for the invite, we’ll make sure to show up in proper attire.” He slung his backpack on and hastily headed towards the door, not bothering to apologize as he pushed past them, far too embarrassed to want to stick around any longer. The rush of it was making him dizzy. Ted hesitated but after a moment of thinking it over, grabbed his backpack as well and ran after him.

♬

Bill watched his ceiling fan spin, frustrated at himself.

Ted had begun to follow him home but after realizing he wasn’t getting through, moodily left in the opposite direction to go back to his own house, leaving Bill by himself, their after-school-practice forgotten about. He was sure they’d have time to work on the album once Ted got to his senses. He scoffed to himself. Why wasn’t the band the most important thing at the moment? 

He supposed it was the fact that Ted’s future in the bad timeline was undetermined, so he wasn’t as worried, whereas Bill knew exactly how he would end up. And it terrified him. He had never let high school interfere with his future before now (besides the first time they had used the time-machine, of course, but he had learned from that), and he wasn’t planning on it. He didn’t really want to go to the party, but maybe he was correct about what he’d said- maybe publicity really _was_ the ticket to saving the Wyld Stallyns. He would just have to wait for Ted to apologize first. 

Someone knocked on his door, jolting him from his daze. A moment later Missy peeked her head through. 

“What does dad want,” Bill sighed, pulling himself up into a seated position so he could see her better. His dad had the bad habit of making her the middle ground, in any argument, or just in general whenever he wanted him to do something around the house. 

“Actually, I came in to check on you,” she said, “you mind if I sit there?”

She pointed at the edge of his bed, and he hesitantly sat criss-cross applesauce to make room. “Why?” They never talked to one another (excluding the times she reported from his dad), and Missy usually ignored his presence, which he gladly returned. Her wanting to talk to him alone made no sense.

“You seemed upset earlier, when you got home from school. And weren’t you and Ted supposed to practice together over here?”

“How did you…” Bill shook his head, choosing to ignore that she had found out. “Why do you care if I’m upset or not?”

She sighed, clearly not sure of how to answer that. “You and that boy of yours are always together, and now that you’re not, you look all angry. I’m just wondering what he could have said, or what you could have said, that made you reclusive again.”

He fell back onto his pillows. “I’m not reclusive.”

“You never come out of your room when your dad is home, or when I’m home for that matter, and you’re always at Ted’s house when you can be. You _are_ reclusive, kid.” 

“Don’t call me kid,” he said, a bit bluntly, “you’re only like, two years older than me. It’s demeaning. _This_ is why I don’t talk to you, you make it all weird, pretending to be my stepmom when you’re hardly out of high school.”

Missy scooted further onto the bed, mirroring his criss-cross pose, looking much less intimidating now that she and Bill were at the same level. “Fine then,” she proposed, “if I talk to you as Missy-the-hardly-out-of-high-school student instead of your stepmom, will you tell me why you’re upset?”

As much as Bill didn’t want to talk to her, he could tell she was trying to be nice for once. Plus, he really needed to get the weight of his thoughts off his mind by saying them out loud, so he supposed telling her his problems wouldn’t hurt. “Alright, fine… Ted was being dumb in class earlier. Honestly… he’s been frustrating lately, as a whole. It feels like he’s hiding something from me and it hurts that he won’t tell me.”

“Sometimes people keep things from others because they’re afraid of worrying others,” she assured him, “so maybe he wants to tell you but doesn’t want to scare you.”

“That makes no sense…” he shook his head again. “...Okay, maybe it does. I guess. But what could possibly scare me?” _More than my current future, anyways._

“I wouldn’t think too much about it, Bill. How was he being dumb in class, like you mentioned?”

Once again, Bill could feel his face heating up- apparently just thinking about the subject was embarrassing, though he couldn’t place why- and he fidgeted uncomfortably where he sat. “I don’t know… some dudes invited us to this party on Saturday, and Ted wanted us to go to have fun, right? And then he mentioned babes being at the party, which is stupid because me and the band should be more important to him right now, so I _told_ him that and he had the nerve to tell me it’s ‘not his fault I don’t like them’, and-”

He could see Missy had raised her eyebrow, and he stopped. “What?”

She shrugged. “Nothing. Go on.”

“No, you’re giving me a weird look. What is it?”

“Well…” she faltered, not wanting to offend him. “Do you?”

He was so taken aback by this question that it took him a minute to respond, and when he did, his face had fully flushed again. “I- yeah, of course I like girls, what the hell do you mean? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, why would you?”

“I- well-” he struggled to find words, stumbling over them, “hey, I used to like you, and you’re a girl, so there- I don’t _have_ to explain myself.”

“Ehh.. did you though?”

“I- why do you care?!”

“Bill, calm down, and listen.” She placed her hand on his arm assuredly, trying to comfort him. He glared at her, fighting the temptation to hide among his pillows and ignore everything she was saying. “It’s ok if you _don’t_ like girls, you know.”

“But… if I don’t, then who _do_ I like?” She gave him a meaningful look, and he began to understand. “You don’t- you think I like _Ted_?? But Ted’s a dude-”

“And?” 

Bill rubbed his head in frustration, things beginning to make sense that he wasn’t exactly ready to make sense, all of his emotions mixing together and becoming indiscernible. “And he’s… a dude. I don’t know, Missy, and it’s hurting my head. Guys can’t like guys, that’s…”

Missy gestured at him to finish his sentence.

“...Anyways, Teddy is my best friend,” he continued, “I don’t love him like that, and I doubt he loves me like that. Not that I _care_ if he does, I just… ugh, you’ve made me more upset! Of course I like girls, what kind of question is that?! Now get out of my room so I can wallow in peace.”

“Whatever you say, little dude,” Missy sighed, following his request and sliding off his bed to head towards the door, “but it _is_ alright if you like him, you know. Even if you’ve been told otherwise.” 

She shut his door, leaving him in peace. He threw a pillow at it after she did.

“It’s stupid,” he muttered angrily to himself, collapsing back onto his pillows as he did so, “why would I like Ted? He’s just… he’s my bandmate. And I like girls, why wouldn’t I? Missy has no idea what she’s talking about. I can’t like Ted, I-”

Still, too much made sense now that he was connecting the dots. How focused he was on their future, specifically the “not losing Ted” part, how adamant he was about his best friend remaining the most important part of his life, his dislike of others getting close to Ted and the fact that he was worried of getting replaced… But that was all normal for best friends to feel, right? 

_Best friends don’t look at each other and wonder what it would be like to kiss them, Bill._ His brain argued with himself, trying to rationalize his feelings, but he wanted no part in it, and instead wrapped one of his pillows around his ears as if it would block the thoughts out. “I _like girls,_ ” he repeated, trying to believe it. “...Right?”

Even if he did, what did it matter? His feelings towards Ted weren’t going to change. Liking girls wouldn’t cancel that out. Though he was fairly certain he didn’t, anyways, but he really didn’t want to think about that at the moment. He was already struggling with what he had just realized.

“Oh god… I’m in love with _him._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's no gayer experience than making up past "straight" crushes as proof that you're straight, prove me wrong


	6. Chapter 6: They were the OG Himbos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter taking place the night before the party- Bill and Ted finally made up, due to their inability to be away from each other for more than a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh sorry guys for the long break, I got caught up in the holidays lmao and lost motivation to write, but I'm back with a very short chapter that will hopefully kickstart me back into the zone. This was more of a filler but hey, who doesn't need some gay panic here and there? Anyways I hope you all had great breaks, good luck with school- you guys can do this <3

It was hard to believe that Bill and Ted could ever manage to avoid each other for longer than a day, given how close their school schedules ran and the fact that they hardly ever stayed mad at each other for that long anyways. This argument was a record breaker- by just that, one day. Making the total two days without speaking. It wasn’t until Friday that Ted approached Bill at his locker, holding a bright blue slushie and wearing a very guilty expression on his face.

Bill knew what he was doing. It was the same routine every time they argued. Ted usually crumbled first, and then he would find something to bargain with, bringing it to him while complaining that he missed him. Blatant bribery. Did Bill accept it? Of course he did- he may have been lacking in intelligence but he wasn’t stupid, a slushie was a slushie. Besides, it was hard to turn down Ted when he was upset. So when his best friend brought him another, he sighed, and took it, ready to apologize.

“It’s half melted,” was what came out of his mouth instead. He mentally slapped himself, but Ted still seemed to have picked up on the intention.

“I was being stupid on Wednesday,” he began, “and you’re right, the band is more important to me than some party. We can stay home and rehearse if you’d like.”

“Ted, you don’t have to say all that, it’s alright. Besides, I thought it over and… I agree with you, I think we deserve to let loose a little. And hey, maybe this really _will_ kick our band off if we perform Saturday.”

Ted began to smile again. “Then we have a hell of a lot of practicing to do, eh?”

And that was all it took for the two of them to fall back into their normal routine. Normal at least, for Ted- Bill was another story. Ever since his realization he had begun to get increasingly nervous around his best friend, and he had no idea of how to begin approaching that subject with him. He wasn’t even sure how Ted felt about that sort of stuff- they had never talked about relationships besides the occasional jab at each other when a girl’s name got brought up- let alone their opinions on people who weren’t straight. Bill could count the number of people he knew who were gay on one hand- a boy he hardly knew in the grade below him was suspected to be, and himself. It made him wonder how many people were just hiding it to escape judgement. If only there were an easier way of finding that out so he could have someone who understood him.

_You should just talk to Teddy about it, then, and find out,_ he told himself. _Be subtle so he doesn’t know._

_Are you crazy? Ted’s the last person you can tell, given the fact that he’s the one you’re in love with._

_But he’s your best friend. He’ll still stick by you no matter what. He wouldn’t just throw away years of friendship just because you like boys… besides, he’s super understanding anyways. That dumb heart of his is too big for hate._

He often argued with himself in this way for hours, back and forth, to the point that it was hard to think about anything else. Sleeping became harder as his mind raced all night. Thinking of _Ted_. It always came back to him, no matter how many times Bill forced himself to think of the girls in his grade- and it frustrated him, the fact that he was unlucky enough to fall in love with someone he could never have.

Ted no longer wanted to practice at his own house, even when his dad wasn’t home. He wouldn’t say why, but Bill had stopped asking for explanations awhile ago. 

“Dude, the party is _tomorrow,_ ” Ted sighed, staring at Bill’s ceiling from his bed. They were beginning to give up whatever hope they had for finishing their first song in time for it- and on top of that, Ted’s guitar had randomly snapped two of its strings, so he had until the next day to replace them.

“Maybe we should do it acapella or something,” Bill suggested half-heartedly. 

“Like what, the glee club? No thanks buddy, my guitar skills are way better than my vocal skills, and that’s saying something.”

They fell quiet, both thinking about the party, and how they were supposed to be ready to perform by then. It occurred to Bill after a few minutes of silence that now might be a good time to bring up what had been bothering him the past two days, just to get it over with. That thought immediately made him feel nauseous, but he was suddenly driven to do it anyways- it was as if he had to say it in that moment or he would never gather the courage to say it again. Nervously, he got up from his chair and slid onto the edge of the bed, next to Ted. 

For a moment he silently admired his best friend, staring fondly at his face, wishing he could get closer but knowing he couldn’t. All it would take is one swift movement down and they would be kissing-  
 _Shut up. Stop getting distracted._

After snapping himself out of it, he noticed that Ted was staring up at him with interest, clearly wondering why he had been quietly watching him. He quickly looked away. _Come on. Just get on with it, Preston._

“So, uh…” How was he supposed to lead into this? “That girl that invited us to the party, she’s pretty, right?”

He mentally facepalmed. _Really, dude? You’re hopeless._

“I mean… yeah, sure,” Ted answered, not sounding particularly enthusiastic, “why bring her up? I thought you didn’t like her like that.”

“What? No, I don’t, I just…” Bill tried to swallow down the lump that had grown in his throat that had blocked him from speaking. _Take a few deep breaths in, get it over with._ “I… Teddy, I wanted to ask-”

“Ohhhh, you’re wondering if I’m into her, aren’t you! Very funny man, you know I would tell you if I was.” He hadn’t picked up on how his best friend looked practically sick to the stomach, but Bill had guessed that it would take him a while to, so he stayed silent as he waited for him. “...What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re impossible,” Bill sighed, laying down next to him and giving up on trying to tell him. A sudden wave of paranoia had swept over him and made him second guess his decision. Maybe it would just be better to wait it out, anyways. _It shouldn’t have to be this hard,_ he reasoned, _I shouldn’t even have to tell anybody. I shouldn’t have to explain myself. I wish I could just tell him I liked him and it would be normal to him, without all this added explanation and shit. Is this why nobody ever talks about it? Being gay is way more difficult than I thought it was. Well, not that I ever thought about it, I just didn’t know they had it so hard-_

“You always say that, and never tell me how I annoyed you.” Ted interrupted his train of thoughts, bringing him back to reality. “Seriously, Bill, you’ve been super confusing lately and-”

“Me? Confusing? Says the dude who won’t even explain to me why he mopes around all day now when he’s always been an annoyingly positive person. _You’re_ confusing.”

“Alright, we aren’t going to talk about that again, dude, we’re supposed to be practicing and you sound like my aunt when she’s being passive aggressive to my uncle-”

“Great, I love being compared to your old married relatives. It does wonders for my self-confidence.”

Ted grabbed one of the pillows on Bill’s bed and smacked him with it, effectively shutting him up. “Now that you’re finally quiet, you ready to help me learn this thing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Not me wondering if I dated the events right for the week this occurs on :,))


End file.
